Networking Effectively Using LinkedIn

What is LinkedIn? What can it be used for?

• LinkedIn is a professional social network that allows you to make the most of your trusted professional relationships.
• It is a platform for you to virtually showcase your education including courses you have taken, to describe your volunteer/work experiences, and to list your extracurricular activities.
• LinkedIn enables you to join different groups such as Carleton University’s Alumni group, different companies of interest, and organizations/involvements that may be of importance to you. Through these LinkedIn Groups, you will have the opportunity to participate in discussions, access potentially exclusive job listings, and meet people who share similar interests as you.
• Most importantly, LinkedIn is a valuable networking tool that complements your in-person relationship-building. It allows you to see and explore with various search tools who your connections know, and how you may be connected to companies.

Building your LinkedIn profile

• Think of LinkedIn as being one, online package of your business card, resume, and letters of recommendation.
• The most important thing you want to keep in mind is to ensure your LinkedIn profile is professional.
• For networking purposes, it’s typically beneficial to include the following:
  • A professional photo
  • Specify the industry of interest
  • List your post-secondary education
  • Identify industry specific keywords in your skills section
  • Highlight current and past positions
• See our LinkedIn Profile Check List for more details about what to include on your profile.

Tips on how to network on LinkedIn

• It’s highly encouraged to start by connecting with people you already know and the site offers tools to connect, degree by degree, with the connections of your connections for mutual benefits.
• When adding a connection on LinkedIn, consider customizing the request with a friendly note, mentioning where you met, or what organization you have in common.
• LinkedIn can be a valuable networking tool in five ways:
  • 1) Alumni Search: This tool allows you to search individuals whom are either connections or not that have attended the same school(s) as you. This can be an excellent tool to identify graduate programs that align with your career path, organizations/companies you would like to get involved with, and people you can begin to network with!
  • 2) Advanced Search: Using the advanced search tool, you can identify individuals from your network, individuals with whom you share a mutual connection with, individuals from groups that you follow, or individuals beyond your networking circle. For individuals who are not your 1st connection, we highly recommend you take advantage of the ‘get introduced feature’ available on LinkedIn (see below).
  • 3) ‘Get Introduced’ tool: Instead of immediately connecting with someone with whom you do not know, we encourage you to begin with individuals who are second degree connections. This tool enables you to send a personalized message to your mutual connection first, asking to introduce you to your second degree connection.
  • 4) Joining company pages: By joining pages of companies that are of interest to you, you would be able to see their most recent updates, information about their services, potentially exclusive job postings, and how you may already be connected to the company through one of your connections!
  • 5) Your connections: More often than not, the best networks begin with people you already know including family, friends, classmates, professors, past employers, etc. Use your connections –both online and in-person –to gather information, form new relationships, and create new opportunities.

Overall tips

• Customizing your LinkedIn requests will demonstrate your genuine interest, convey your dedication, and leave a memorable impression on the potential connection or employer.
• Maintain a consistent presence on LinkedIn by sharing professional updates and information, and responding to requests promptly.
• Include keywords throughout your LinkedIn profile of skills and expertise a recruiter is likely to enter into a search engine. This is particularly important if your profile is public in order to increase the possibility of your profile appearing on a recruiter’s search results.
• Don’t be shy to politely ask for recommendations from people who really know you and your work. Having recommendations included on your LinkedIn profile emphasizes your skills and accomplishments.
• Nurture your online networking with in-person contact through attending events, and conducting information interviews.

Remember, while LinkedIn is an excellent networking tool, it is not a replacement for in-person contact.